Making An Impact For Your Town...In 15 Minutes or Less

My eyes popped open Monday morning with an overwhelming feeling to create something.  As I went through my usual morning routine, my mind marveled at the possibilities.  What could I do today that could create an impact for my town?  As sang with wild abandon to AC/DC on the road to downtown I started to think about all the things that I had to accomplish - writing a press release, merchant newsletter, etc., and suddenly my resolve to create something new started to waiver.  Maybe I wouldn't have time to create because life was going to get in the way?  No, no that just won't do, I'll just have to think a little smaller.

So instead of going directly to the office, I took a little detour to drive around downtown to see if inspiration might strike.  The parking lot piled two stories high with snow could make a great venue for a snowman building contest this weekend?  With the chilly weather, maybe an online contest for gift certificates to bring visitors downtown?  As I drove around, it struck me how beautiful it was - crystal blue sky with the sun making the abundant snow shimmer like diamonds.  And then it hit me.  Why not take photos of everything I'm seeing and share it with our fans on Facebook?

So armed with my winter woolies and my new Samsung Galaxy, I ventured out to catch spectacular snow shots on the creek, in the park and all over downtown.  After critically reviewing my work, I used PhotoGrid (my favorite new toy) to create a photo collage which I promptly uploaded to the Downtown Rochester Facebook Page.  Start to finish, I spent about 15 minutes putting this little promotion together.  But was it time well spent? 

The answer came quickly as the likes and comments started to roll in.  After it was all said and done, we had 791 Likes, 25 Comments and 53 Shares, with a total reach of 15,720 people!  Not too bad for an on-the-fly idea.

So what's the point?  Is social media is a downtown marketing juggernaut?  Absolutely, but I'll save that one for another post.  Some days, it's easy to wake up energized and ready to take on the world, only to have your hot pink balloon of enthusiasm popped by the harsh pin of reality.  I liken it to when you download a few new songs on iTunes.  Suddenly, your whole music library feels fresh again.  It's easy to get caught up in doing your job, but if you don't take time to step back and look at the big picture, you're only going through the motions and not really doing the job you want to do. 

When was the last time you made an impact?  If you can't remember, then maybe today's the day!

Happy Creating!

Kristi, The Downtown Geek